Cijin (旗津) is the long, thin island across the harbor mouth, and the ferry from Hamasen gets you there in minutes for NT$30. Walk off the boat onto the seafood street, visit the old Mazu temple, climb to the lighthouse and fort for the view back over the harbor, then go through the Star Tunnel to the beach. Give it half a day.
- Ferry Gushan Ferry Pier to Cijin, NT$30, about 05:00 to 02:00
- Station MRT Hamasen (O1) or light rail Hamasen (C14), then walk to the pier
- Bikes YouBike 2.0 at the lighthouse car park and Cijin Beach
- Allow Half a day
The seafood street
Restaurants selling fresh, budget-friendly seafood line Miaoqian Road (廟前路) from the ferry pier, with more around the beach. → What to eat
Cijin Tianhou Temple
Cijin Tianhou Temple (旗津天后宮), at 93 Miaoqian Rd., was founded in 1673 by a Fujian fisherman who brought an image of Mazu, the sea goddess, from Meizhou. The city calls it Kaohsiung's oldest temple and Taiwan's first Mazu temple. Today's building follows its 1926 rebuild, restored again in 2021, and it has been a listed monument since 1979.
The lighthouse and Cihou Fort
- Kaohsiung Lighthouse (旗後燈塔), 34 Qixia Lane: first built in 1883 and rebuilt in 1918. Since 2022 it's Taiwan's first lighthouse open at night, 10:00 to 21:00 every day.
- Cihou Fort (旗後砲台): built after the 1874 Mudan Incident, and one of the first two Western-style fortifications in Taiwan. A national historic site since 2019, open all the time.
The Star Tunnel and the beach
The Star Tunnel (旗津星空隧道), off Lane 1 Miaoqian Rd., is an 88-metre Japanese-era military tunnel through the hill, now lit and walkable, that comes out on the sea side. From there, Cijin Coastal Park runs along the shore:
- Cijin Beach (旗津海水浴場): open April to October (closed November to March). A NT$478 million rebuild, with a new visitor centre, lifeguard station and showers, is due to finish at the end of 2026; expect detours until then.
- Rainbow Arch (旗津彩虹教堂), the rainbow "church" on the sand, at 990 Cijin 3rd Rd.
- Shell Gallery (旗津貝殼館): Taiwan's largest public shell collection, about 2,000 species, upstairs in the visitor centre at 887 Cijin 3rd Rd.
- Windmill Park (旗津風車公園), further south on Cijin 2nd Rd.: seven windmills and a sea-view stand.
Good to know: on long weekends of three days or more, visitors can't take petrol scooters on the ferry between 11:00 and 19:00. Walk on, or bring a bicycle (NT$40 with the rider).
→ The harbor · The ferry, in detail
Sources: Cijin and the coastal park: Taiwan Tourism Administration and its open data (temple, tunnel, shell gallery, windmills, Rainbow Arch); temple: the city's Takao magazine; lighthouse: Maritime and Port Bureau; Cihou Fort: Ministry of Culture; beach works: Commercial Times and Liberty Times; beach season: Kaohsiung Travel; ferry: Kaohsiung City Shipping. Checked October 2026.